Videos can be a great medium to support corporate training but not when they are passive. Here’s how you can spice up your old videos with assessments to make them interactive without incurring much cost and rework!
It is well-known why video is a great medium to support corporate training as opposed to conventional eLearning courses. Videos are effective when it comes to gaining learner attention, reaching them on-the-go, as well as an ideal tool to impart how-to style learning. But, do your videos still lack the punch? Well, video-based learning devoid of any interactivity will certainly fail to engage learners.
Even if your videos are well-produced, they can be passive, lengthy, and further develop low-levels of retention sometimes. To achieve understanding and better retention, it is important to foster active learning. Interactive videos bring together video content and behavioral change to provide the benefits of conventional video learning along with an interactive twist.
How can you do that without incurring much cost and rework on already developed videos? Your organization can revamp its training videos with the incorporation of assessments to increase the effectiveness of training as well as evaluate the level of learning of your employees.
How Can Assessments be Incorporated?
Embedding Assessment Questions at Different Points:
Assessment questions such as Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) or True and False can be embedded at different points in the video. Videos will be paused when required, to pose questions to the learner. Learners will have to answer each question before they move further into learning through the video.
When learners attempt these questions, it challenges their knowledge acquisition and triggers learning interaction that in turn will increase their understanding of the information. Moreover, assessments provide an opportunity for learners to know if they are on the right learning track.
Providing Timely Feedback:
With the inclusion of assessment questions, learners should also be provided with timely and constructive feedback. When learners answer a question incorrectly, descriptive feedback detailing the reasons will clear misconceptions. Also, feedback provided even for their correct answers will help in knowing the appropriate reasons behind the right answer and discourage guessing.
And if your videos demonstrate scenarios and situations that employees are more likely to face in real life, feedback will make them realize the consequences of their actions. The feedback system fosters reinforcement of appropriate knowledge and better retention for efficient on-the job performance.
Providing Additional Resources:
What if your employees are not satisfied with feedback and want to learn more? Providing links to additional resources along with feedback in the video will allow learners to study in-depth about that specific topic. For instance, if the video shows a scenario on how to handle equipment, employees might be interested in knowing the different features of the machine.
For this, links can be embedded of resources that cover the various features of the equipment, providing an opportunity to enhance proficiency in the subject. These additional resources can be in the form of videos, job-aids, or manuals that can be downloaded.
But, When Can Assessments Be Included?
While Introducing the Training Program:
One way to include assessments is to incorporate them in videos used to introduce eLearning courses or classroom training sessions to learners. These pre-assessments in the introductory video are non-graded tests, allowing learners to gauge what they already know and what they don’t.
Learning through watching a video and then answering assessment questions will prepare your employees for the training and make them realize where they need to pay more attention. Also, these assessments should allow learners to go back and repeat the questions if they want to.
With Refresher Videos and Performance Support:
What happens when learners want to brush up their knowledge after training? When videos are rolled out as refreshers for brushing up the already acquired knowledge, adding assessments can be even more effective. Videos help them in recalling information and assessments help in reinforcing the same. Additionally, assessments can be part of performance support videos too. Employees can quickly evaluate where they are wrong and rectify to perform their tasks well. They can go back to the video and relearn aspects where they answered incorrectly.
By incorporating assessments with videos, their interactivity quotient rises. These renewed videos will hold the ability to engage and motivate people toward meaningful learning and encourage critical thinking as opposed to passive learning. What is the wait for? Incorporate assessments in your videos to make them interactive and realize the difference yourself!
